CHAPTER SEVEN (BITTER, FUNNY STORY)

"Are you two okay?" Frida asked.

"Does it matter? I am sure that as long as we have the same blood running through our veins, he will never abandon me." Kamala said suddenly to Frida's surprise.

"Tell me what happened." Frida said to her but Kamala cut her off.

"Let it go mom, Wendy and I are going inside now." She held Wendy's waist and they both went inside.

"Don't try to force it." Tyrus said and sighed, Frida looked at him and then asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You were never really a part of our lives despite being our mother, you left us to our dads so obviously we do not feel oblige to say anything about ourselves to you." Tyrus answered.

"I have always looked after you all even from afar, I ask after you every week, I make sure to find out all I can about you, I do my job as a mother."

"Maybe that just wasn't enough, you should have done more." Tyrus said while he shook his head pitifully and then went away.

"I guess I have really not been a part of my kids lives." Frida whispered to herself.

"Did you have sex with that hostess?" Cleona asked Autry suddenly as they went to get fishes rods because Zephan claimed he could catches fishes in the sea.

"Are you crazy? Where did that come from?" Autry asked nervously and laughed hysterically.

"You refused to date me and I always see you doing whatever you like with other girls but I can't say a word because I don't have a right to." Cleona said sadly and whimpered.

"I invited you to my family's vacation, isn't that enough." Autry said to calm her down.

"No it's not." Cleona said sadly and added.

"I want you to be mine, become my boyfriend, my man, only mine."

"You know that's impossible, I told you of my dream, did you forget?" Autry asked and Cleona responded.

"To date a rich woman and elevate yourself from poverty."

"Exactly, so stop it already." Autry said to her and as he turned around to leave, he came face to face with Zephan.

"You don't want to make her your girlfriend because of money?" Zephan asked.

"Yogi listen, I need money, I can't continue to live in poverty like my dad did and I have no way out except to get married to a rich woman." Autry explained himself.

"Man, you are so stupid." Zephan said shaking his head, disappointed.

"I am not, don't you see how you all keep talking about how great your dad's her and how much you spend at a go. I have seen such amount before in my life." Autry said getting annoyed, he didn't like the fact that Zephan was dissatisfied with him.

"Will you date her if I tell you that I can help solve your money problems?" Zephan asked. Autry's face lifted up and brighten with happiness, he couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you being serious right now?" He asked to confirm and Zephan repeated his words.

"Date her and I will give you the sum of one million dollars to live a better life with her by your side." Zephan said, Cleona just kept on smiling, she was also surprised.

"Oh my goodness, wow, I can't believe this." Autry said and then hugged Zephan tightly while thanking him continuously.

"Cleona is a very good girl, I have noticed." Zephan said to Autry and right there and then, Zephan made a transfer of five hundred thousand dollars to Autry promising to send the rest of the amount after the vacation.

Autry and Cleona were elated throughout the yacht ride, he asked her to be his girlfriend and announced it to the entire family, and they were all happy for them.

"We are here." Captain Jonas announced.

Woah!!! Was everyone's word as they saw the island, it was right in the middle of a blue sea and it had an evergreen scenery.

They were all welcomed by two beautiful workers who excorted them inside after telling two other male workers to bring their luggages in. They were gifted flower garlands which was worn on their necks like necklaces, they were also given a tray of fruit juice to pick any drink of their choice to cool down as they walked behind the two workers.

The place was such a wonder, could be mistaken for Disney land if not for the lack of toys and playground. They saw a swimming pool in the middle of the island with palm fronts by the sides as they walked through the island.

They arrived at the place where the open top mini electric cars to move around the island on a cobblestone road in the shade of spreading trees and shrubs is parked.

They all got into the nicely painted cars, four passengers in each car and drove themselves closely following the workers who were in another car.

"This place looks too good to be a private owned island." Tyrus said looking around with amusement.

"I agree, if one should own this place then that person is a billionaire." Kamala added.

"How rich is your dad Dashay?" Kamala asked and Dashay shrugged her shoulders before answering.

"I don't know."

"Iker is not the type to tell anyone about how wealthy he is. He never told me he owned the house we lived in and the farm house we visited for vacation throughout our marriage, I found out myself after our divorce." Frida said to them.

"So that must mean he is a secret billionaire." Kamala whispered but they all heard her.

"Let's just enjoy the vacation, that's all that matters." Frida said to them and they all agreed.

When they came to the front of the biggest house on the island, they were stunned.

"OMG." Autry gasped at the sight.

It was an 18,000 square foot contemporary residence created by only the most esteemed architect team in Los Angeles.

This ten rooms Dontrell Residence soaks up views of the surrounding palm trees and evergreen landscape, and the California coastline meeting the Pacific Ocean.

One could see form outside that the feature staircase and terraces rise from the natural contours of the hillside.

"Isn't this place magical!" Wendy said smiling and held Kamala hand.

The heavy pivoting front door made a lasting first impression on them as it was being opened by the two female staffs, they felt like king and Queens being welcomed.

"Can they close the door and open it again." Autry asked they all bursted with laughter.

"You are so funny." Dashay said, still laughing.

As they stepped inside, they all noticed an open two story void furnished with the main living spaces and a stunning staircase over a reflecting pool.

The vast windows pour in sunlight and breathtaking vistas, this Autry noticed and felt like he was in paradise, even Tyrus was amused for the first time.

The architecture negotiates the steep topography of the two-acre site, following its natural rolls and undulations.

"We would like to give you a quick tour of the house, that is if you do not mind." One the female workers said.

"We do not mind at all." Frida spoked quickly.

"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Emily and this is my assistant Diana. Now let's start our tour." Emily introduced nicely, she had a British accent and her smile was so beautiful that it would make you want to speak to her.

"This way." She said as she lead the way.

"This beautiful residence has a total of ten bedrooms in the main building, with three living rooms, a kitchen, a storeroom, a dinning area, a studio, a library and a grand piano room. This house has been in existence for twenty years, it is modern and has been passed down from the late Mr. And Mrs. Dontrell to their only child Iker Dontrell." Emily explained calmly. Dashay was surprised to hear that her dad truly owned the house.

"This luxury home design is cleanly defined by a material palette of light limestone, contrasting dark ipe wood, and vast expanses of high-performance glazing."

"Enormous wood shutters encase the two story facade, emphasizing its vertical height." Diana added.

"The extraordinary window shutters screen off glass walled private quarters from the public approach. When open, the huge shutters resemble great sails cast into the breeze." Emily explained and as they got closer, she walked farther ahead.

As they move inside the impressive LA home, a modern chandelier draws their eye up to notice and appreciate the double height grandeur of the stylish living room.

"So beautiful." Cleona whispered to Autry and he agreed with her.

"The room is blessed with natural light from two stories of windows, whilst the wooden shutters control the glare of California sunshine." Emily said and took a few seconds to watch how much her audience were fascinated by what they saw.

She took their to the second sitting room and explained the materials used for the room.

"An elegant, natural material palette amasses a tranquil atmosphere inside of this room and the different areas in the open plan layout achieve clear distinction from diversity of tone." After explaining and looking around, the headed to the third sitting room.